AMMAN — A
phosphate exploration project in the east of the Kingdom has revealed that the
region contains geological reserves of phosphate rock estimated at 650 million
tonnes, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted the
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources as saying.
اضافة اعلان
The ministry said
in a statement Sunday that the project had produced promising results in terms
of the quality and thickness of the phosphate ore in the exploration area.
“The initial
resource was estimated at 650 million cubic meters of phosphate in the study
area within an area of 70sq.km. of medium and high quality phosphate” said the
statement.
It added that
drilling and exploration work is going on in
Al-Rishah/Al-Ruwaished region, and
that the first phase is expected to cover 120sq.km. by the end of this year.
More than 960
samples (cutting samples) were collected and analyzed from 40 wells, with
thicknesses ranging from 25m to 35m and a total length of more than 1,000m, the
ministry indicated.
The ministry
further explained that the rock phosphate in the Risha area is distinguished by
a low percentage of clay impurities, as determined by the ratios of total
aluminum, iron, and magnesium oxides to phosphorous oxide ratios.
The percentage of
these impurities was very low, sometimes less than 0.04 percent, which is,
according to the ministry, a low percentage globally, making this crude
suitable for the manufacturing of phosphorous acids and other manufacturing
compounds.
The quality of the
phosphate layers was categorized based on the concentration ratio of phosphorus
pentoxide (P2O5), according to the ministry, which disclosed that more than 15
wells had an average concentration of P2O5 of 25 percent, which is deemed to be
of excellent quality based on the tricalcium phosphate (TCP) content with an
average concentration ratio of 55 percent.
In addition, the
P2O5 concentration in over 20 wells was deemed to be of medium quality, with
concentration ratios ranging from 20 to 25 percent.
According to the
ministry, the highest P2O5 concentration recorded was greater than 36 percent,
or 80 percent of the TCP for phosphate grade.
The thickness of
high quality phosphate layers with
P2O5 concentrations between 25 and 36
percent varied between 4m and 8m.
The thickness of
the sedimentary cover (overburden) over the phosphate layer did not exceed 10m
on average, ranging from zero to 18m in some wells.
“The results
indicated that uranium ore concentrations ranged from 56 to 117 parts per
million, making the harvesting of uranium as a byproduct feasible,” the
ministry said, adding that thorium concentrations were also recorded.
It said uranium concentrations averaged one kilogram per ten
metric tons of phosphate ore. Fourteen of the 20 samples had uranium
concentrations greater than 70 parts per million.
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